Yes, the AptX of Bluetooth is actually that good. I have just discovered that.

[Huchiz]

The Facts:

1, All Buletooth audio devices on the earth are still using lossy compression codec. (as of July 2014)

2, The AptX used in Bluetooth is 352kbps and no more. The AptX-Lossless is a differenct codec.

3, iphone and ipad does NOT support AptX as yet. Most good Samsung andorid phone do. MACs do.

4, AptX support is largely a software issue, not hardware. Any Bluetooth 2.0+EDR or above should be compliant as hardware.

5, The quality of AptX codec, in my opinion, is very very good.

I just bought a Yamaha YBA-11 from Amazon. This bluetooth device is just what I need, being no analoge output, just a coaxial digital output to feed my DAC. Inside there is the CSR 57e6 chip solution with a dedicate Wolfson WM8804 for spdif output. The dac section of 57e6 chip is not used, which is a good call.

Feeding by the MBP playing ALAC on iTunes, I compared the digital output of YBA-11 with the digital output of a SONY CDP-CX355 CD player playing the same CDs through a Micromega T-DAC DAC. The result is very very close, if not identical. Yes I know it is lossy, Yes I know it is audioable. But it is that good IMO.

So the conclution is that, the Aptx codec in Bluetooth itself is good enough to be used in a hifi system. Don't let the low quality dac and powered speaker/headhpone normally associated with Bluetooth fool you.

I have recorded some 16bit 44khz clips of the results for you to compare on you system. It's 6 files in a zip. I just need to find a place to upload them. Will update soon.

 

[Huchiz]

The recorded audio file can be found here https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=DC0B270221FC0406!117&authkey=!ANY_0mJ4CrT70y4&ithint=folder%2c.zip

There are 6 ALAC files in the zip, being 3 pairs, for you to compare.

They are recorded by Audacity in Macbook Pro.

 

[steve_1979]

I have recorded some 16bit 44khz clips of the results for you to compare on you system. It's 6 files in a zip. I just need to find a place to upload them. Will update soon.

I haven't heard the AptX codec yet but I am intrigued.

I look forward to hearing your AptX vs 16/44 comparison clips (I've compared other lossy codecs before and can't hear a difference between 256kbps MP3 or AAC files and lossless 16/44). Thanks for posting.

 

[Huchiz]

Cheers.

To be fair, both CD sound and AptX sound are recorded by Audacity on the Macbook Pro in 1644 and converted to ALAC for smaller size.

Yes, that record process will degrade the SQ of CD, but that's the same on AptX.

 

[steve_1979]

Cheers.

To be fair, both CD sound and AptX sound are recorded by Audacity on the Macbook Pro in 1644 and converted to ALAC for smaller size.

Yes, that record process will degrade the SQ of CD, but that's the same on AptX.

ALAC is lossless so converting from 16/44 shouldn't alter the sound at all.

 

[Huchiz]

That is not a pure digital recording, but an analogue one. It is using the a DAC of Micromega and the internal ADC of Macbook Pro. Sure it will change the sound.

 

[steve_1979]

That is not a pure digital recording, but an analogue one. It is using the a DAC of Micromega and the internal ADC of Macbook Pro. Sure it will change the sound.

Ahh I see. I thought you were recording the AptX and 16/44 before it had passed throught a DAC.

Converting the finished 16/44 files to ALAC afterwards shouldn't effect the sound of these though.

 

[Trefor Patten]

Thanks a bundle Huchiz. I am downloading now. Have you compared AptX to Apple Airplay? If so, which do you consider (IYHO) superior?

 

[Huchiz]

Don't worry.

I would like to compare to Airplay, but both AE and ATV doesn't like my DAC, the signal always drops like crazy. Maybe that's the jitter or something only Apple knows. That's why I bought this YAMAHA.

But I tend to believe the Airplay should be at least no worse if your DAC works with Apple. It's lossless after all.